
The June Issue of The Maine Sportsman Features Moose, Saltwater Fishing, ATVs, Big Togue and Much, Much More – Welcome to Summertime, 2015!
All eyes are on Bethel, Maine as we prepare for the moose lottery drawing on Saturday, June 13. In keeping with that theme, the June 2015 issue of The Maine Sportsman includes a feature story by William Clunie, titled “Win a Moose Permit? What To Do Next” Those fortunate enough to be selected in the lottery will appreciate the advice of Clunie when it comes to deciding whether to hire a skilled guide, or “go it alone” and find a moose themselves. As Clunie makes clear, there are many advantages to employing a guide, since 1) they have scouted hunting areas in advance; 2) they have thought ahead and made arrangements to get the beast out of the woods, to a butcher and then to a refrigerator or freezer; and 3) they know great places to stay and recreate, adding enjoyment to the week.
One look at the happy togue fisherman on the June issue’s cover says summer is here and the livin’ is about to get very, very easy. Anthony Feldpausch of Rome, Maine is featured in the photo, hoisting an 18-pound leviathan from an unnamed Franklin County waterway. In a letter to the editor, the angler reveals he released the big fish after taking measurements, and wonders aloud whether catch-and-release fishermen should be able to submit photographic proof of fish size and thereby be eligible for the Sportsman’s “One That Didn’t Get Away” club, which historically has required weighing the fish on certified scales. More on this question is forthcoming in the July issue.
Saltwater fishing is also featured in June, starting with King Montgomery’s “Fishing the Kennebunks,” in which he describes the where and the how of catching big stripers off the shores of Kennebunk and Kennebunkport. Saltwater coverage continues with Barry Gibson’s interesting piece captioned “Sharks – 21 Myths vs. Reality.” Among this column’s gems: the possible medical benefits of shark-derived medicines, and why swimmers should not rely on shark repellant.
Miss Maine Sportsman runner-up Liz Simpson of Carrabassett Valley is featured in the June issue, and the photos of her pheasant hunting, trout fishing from a kayak, searching the deep woods for moose antler sheds and casting a long fly line while waist-deep in a fast-moving river tell you all you need to know about her outdoor credentials.
And speaking of the 2015 Miss Maine Sportsman contest, another finalist, DIF&W Deer Research Technician Nicole Bellerose, provides a primer on trapping and collaring whitetail deer for research and tracking purposes.
And there’s more – Jim Andrews shows how meditating along the Allagash looks an awful lot like taking a nap; and Lou Zambello tells what it’s like to be on the water during a green drake hatch, especially when an 8 ¼-pound Labradorian trout is latched on to the fly and the end of your line.
By the time you get through stories and photographs of the Aroostook County, a brief history of ATVs in Maine, bass fishing in Sebago Lake and more, you’ll be ready to jump out of the reading chair and get outside to enjoy all that Maine summers offer. Thanks to all readers for letting The Maine Sportsman inform and inspire you!